SONAC - Senior Advisor, Middle East

This role sits within SONAC's Strategic Issues Team and reports to the Assistant Head (B2/Grade 7). Established in 2020, SONAC (Secretary of State's Office of Net Assessment and Challenge) is a small and inclusive team at the heart of the MOD that provides independent advice to the Defence Secretary and senior MOD officials. SONAC uses structured methods such as net assessment, strategic analysis, wargaming and red teaming to test and improve developing plans and strategies across Defence, and to identify emerging challenges and opportunities. SONAC also acts as a conduit for external expertise into Defence through commissioned research, conferences, workshops and engagement with leading experts. The SONAC team deliberately combines a diverse range of experience from policy, analysis, strategy, intelligence and academia.

SONAC's Middle East senior advisor examines the strategic dynamics shaping the region and their implications for UK defence and national security. The role provides independent analysis and challenge on issues including regional security, geopolitical competition, conflict, defence modernisation, partnerships, resilience and emerging trends across the Middle East.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

SONAC is a high-performing and highly motivated team whose work supports some of the most important decisions taken within Defence and across Government. As Senior Policy Advisor, Middle East, you will lead and contribute to strategic analysis on a broad range of Middle East issues, providing timely, evidence-based advice to support ministers and senior decision-makers.

You will be expected to further develop your expertise across the region, build strong networks across government and externally, and apply innovative analytical approaches to improve understanding of long-term strategic challenges and opportunities.

You will:

• Lead analytical projects examining strategic developments and trends in the Middle East and their implications for UK defence and security.
• Identify emerging risks, opportunities and strategic discontinuities that may affect UK interests in the Middle East and beyond.
• Produce high-quality written outputs, including assessments, briefings, reports and submissions for senior MOD and cross-government audiences.
• Work with regional policy and strategy teams to challenge and improve their work.
• Support SONAC net assessments, strategic studies, red teaming and wider analytical work through the application of regional expertise.
• Develop innovative approaches to analysing complex regional issues, including the use of structured analytical techniques and alternative perspectives.
• Brief senior military officers, civil servants and ministers on key findings and strategic implications.
• Build and maintain effective relationships across Defence, Whitehall, the intelligence community, academia and external experts.
• Develop and manage a network of external regional specialists and thought leaders to bring new perspectives into Defence.
• Support the design and delivery of conferences, expert workshops, roundtables and other engagement activities.
• Represent SONAC, where appropriate, in engagements across MOD, wider government and with selected international partners.
• As required, the postholder may be expected to support other teams within SONAC and develop subject matter expertise in additional areas to enable effective delivery.

Open to UK nationals only.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Stage 1: You are required to submit a CV (no more than two sides of A4), and a Statement of Suitability (500 words max).

In your Statement of Suitability, please explain how your skills and experience make you suitable for the role, including where you can demonstrate that you meet the Essential and Desirable Criteria.

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, Statement of Suitability and the following Behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

Should there be a high number of applicants, the sift will be conducted on the CV and Statement of Suitability only.

Stage 2: The interviews will be held on MS Teams and will assess the following Behaviours:

• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

We will also ask you questions about how your Experience is relevant to the role.

To assess Seeing the Big Picture you will be required to deliver a presentation on a contemporary issue related to the Middle East. The specific topic will be provided to you in advance of the interview.

Stage 3: We will contact candidates who have been successful at interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Further information:

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.